Seated on the ground, Orestes faces Apollo, who informs him of his fatherís murder at his motherís hands and commands that he avenge it. Apollo points at the five swords he holds in his other hand as storm clouds appear to be coming in the background.

Overview

acceptance of limitations, boundaries and the confines of (oneís) destiny so that one is able to progress

acceptance of a task that has been imposed upon one

knowing who one is and what one can and must do is necessary if one wishes to live by the principles in which one believes

acceptance of oneís lot in life (in this case that itís a sonís duty to avenge his fatherís murder, where it wouldnít be a daughterís duty)

no amount of will-power or fighting can change a situation, so one must accept the situation

fairness doesnít enter into the situation Ė one must accept the lot one has been dealt

the sins of Orestesí parents have fallen squarely on his shoulders

the need to accept responsibility for oneís heritage whether one likes that or not

being powerless to do anything but accept a situation and work within its framework

Random Thoughts

being taken aback

the need to practice what one preaches

life isnít fair

being between a rock and a hard place (anger Apollo or anger the Furies)

damned if you do, damned if you donít

The keyword/phrase I came up with in my workbook on 14Mar92 was "acceptance of one's limitations".

Given that this deck is based on the Golden Dawn system, this card is to me a good representation of the 'Lord of Defeat'. Here is a situation where Orestes feels defeated, but also overwhelmed. I love that Apollo appears so large, as if to emphasise that in this situation things really are beyond your control. We often feel defeated when we are powerless to change things which is, I think, what this card is trying to convey.

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